"I currently don't carry a gun (but my hubby and I are looking into training courses), but I don't consider myself defenseless at all. As I've explained in earlier posts, I don't consider guns to be the be-all, end-all of personal defense, nor would I ever assume that those who carry a gun would be successful, or even willing, to deploy their weapon against an assailant."

1. I'm glad to see that you and hubby are looking into training courses . Very important IMO .
2. I don't consider guns to be-the be all
end-all of personal defence either . IMO , mindset , situational awareness and some sort of self defence training are equally important . However , I do think that having a firearm and the knowledge of how to use it are a very important part of the overall preparedness package .